Medical grade air mattresses are useful for bedridden patients to relieve local stress concentration caused by lying and prevent bedsores. When in use, an inflation and deflation device is connected to an air mattress via an air delivery conduit to establish air communication between the inflation and deflation device and the air mattress so as to inflate or deflate the air mattress.
Due to the difference in body weight of individual patients, the pressure borne by the air mattress may be changed. Therefore, the air mattress needs adjustment of internal air pressure according to the physical condition of different patients so as to provide sufficient support to bear patients and provide them with lying comfort.
Most conventional air mattresses are formed by multiple air cells. By using two independent air arrays that are respectively communicated with a part of the air cells, the inflation and deflation rate can be increased and controlled easily. Conventionally, the two independent air arrays of the air mattress are inflated at the same time to a preset pressure value; after that, a patient lies on the air mattress, and the pressure change of the air mattress is detected. Only after the pressure has reached a steady state for a period of time (e.g. 40 seconds), will the pressure value be used to determine the body weight section or interval corresponding to the patient, followed by the adjustment of the air mattress to a proper pressure value corresponding to the body weight section or interval.
However, it takes quite a long time for the air mattress to reach the steady state after the patient lies thereon, and still another long period of time is necessary after the pressure has become steady, so a long waiting time will be needed for the pressure regulation of the air mattress, which is time-consuming and results in bad user experience. Accordingly, improvements are needed for the conventional inflation and deflation pressure regulation system of the air mattress.